The actress, who stars with Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth (opening July 24), married singer Josh Kelley in 2007. Heigl says she would leave the film's set, and kiss her husband, thankful that the game-playing phase of her life was over.

Still, she says, there's an ugly truth between men and women that still burns her up — hubby sometimes included.

"I'm not sure (men) listen to a damn word out of my mouth," she says laughing, and wiping her brow for effect. "I have to repeat myself at least 10 times a day. They don't listen! It's so not fair."

Heigl says she is thrilled that her Grey's Anatomy colleagues Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson got Emmy nods Thursday morning, but was bummed that her buddy Justin Chambers was left out.

Cheryl Hines, who plays a morning show co-anchor (Heigl plays the producer), says the real ugly truth is chemistry.

"That's what it all comes down to: chemistry," she says. "You can be beautiful or super ugly, but if there's no chemistry, then there's nothing there and nothing to work with."

Butler, who plays Heigl's romantic nemesis of sorts in the flick, says that men are far more simple than women might think.

"And we're way more carnal than women would like to believe. We want arousal, we want to have fun. This is me as Mike, my character speaking by the way," he jokes. "No, the idea is that we're looking for two different things. And men and women, we need to find a way to meet in the middle."

He also cautions about "perfect man" lists that women sometimes read in magazines.